Sunday, November 11, 2007

Comics

So in my free time lately, I've been downloading and reading a few comics, not your typical Spiderman/Superman affair, but more artsy, independent works. I wanted to get a feel for some of the more unique things that are happening in the comics industry, in preparation for my upcoming project with Santamaria, still nameless.

One of the one's that I felt like deserved at least a small plug is Craig Thompson's Blankets. I actually read some of Thompson's work before and thought it was lacking any kind of feeling. It seemed like he was more interested in coming up with crazy panels then telling a story. I think with Blankets he gets it right though. He has a talent for knowing when the moment requires detail and when the moment requires simplicity. The main character, which, oh yeah, by the way, is him, is awkward and shy, especially around groups, so whenever the setting takes place in any kind of social environment (school, parties, etc.) you feel claustrophobic, like the detail in it is suffocating you. But when he needs to make a punctuated statement, he knows how to clear everything up and focus on that one thing.

I've included a few pages here to give you an idea of his storytelling technique and his surreal style. I don't think the scene needs to be set up, so I'll just have at it.

BURNOk, so I realize this might give off the wrong impression that this book is some sappy nonsense, so I included this page to hopefully balance it out. This is the protagonist and his brother at an early age.

Action-packed!

Someday soon I want to talk about We3 and Blacksad, both of which were absolutely amazing. Until next time, true believers (holy shit I am a nerd).